As good as Chef David Viana’s Heirloom Kitchen in Old Bridge is, it’s not exactly a short ride from the Jersey Shore, so it’s more of a special occasion experience that is well worth the trip. Happily, Viana and his team have solved the distance problem by recently opening another Heirloom restaurant at the former Hotel Tides, which sits on a quiet residential street in Asbury Park.
In existence since the late 1800s, and originally named the St. Laurent, the inn was renamed the Tides Hotel in 1941 and became Hotel Tides sometime in the late ‘60s; it has now reclaimed its original name and is properly known as the St. Laurent Social Club.
The interior has been totally redone and modernized with only the now-white-painted tin ceiling in one area as a reminder of the restaurant’s former life. Large glass garage doors provide an expansive view of the pool area. Daytime and poolside dining offer an a la carte menu of raw bar, sandwiches and salads. In the evening, the menu is three course, fixed price at $89 per person: appetizer, entrée and dessert; there are vegan offerings as well.
From the five appetizer choices I selected Scallops. Three nicely browned, pan-seared scallops were plated with some petite masala curry gnocchi, sweet and sour eggplant, and a plum dashi (a Japanese sea stock). The scallops were juicy and tender and enhanced by the piquancy of the pureed eggplant and dashi. A bit more of that tasty dashi would have been a welcome addition.
One of my companions opted for the Gem Salad which, in addition to sparkling fresh, crunchy greens, included marcona almonds, charred beans, a crispy slice of seared manchego cheese, and a dressing of peach vinaigrette. The generous portion was a nice mix of different flavors and textures and a refreshing way to start dinner on a sultry summer evening.
A Crab Rotolo, which included jalapeño pesto, Thai basil and creole tomato, was a novel presentation. Rotolo is a traditional Italian dish made from a sheet of pasta that has been rolled into a coil, and then cut into thick rings. In this preparation it was filled with chunks of crabmeat, and topped with a spicy, but not overly so, jalapeno pesto. It was very flavorful, but might have benefited from a small amount of liquid sauce to accompany it, to create a bit more moisture.
The entrée choices included Skate Wing: Two perfectly cooked, filleted and skinned, moist wings arrived atop a potato puree and shared the plate with daikon, kohlrabi, radish and a tangy pickled raisin brown butter sauce. This less-often-seen fish is delicious when properly prepared and cooked and that was the case here. Definitely a dish of the night; don’t miss it.
Duck served with beluga lentils, kale, apricot, pickled cantaloupe and duck jus arrived as three thick chunks of duck breast, seared with a light crust on the outside and perfectly rare inside, sitting on a small mound of the black lentils. It was surrounded by some petite melon balls and shared the plate with a few crispy fried kale leaves. The fruity notes of the sauce worked well with the meaty duck.
Another guest was drawn to the Halibut. The perfectly cooked, juicy slab of white fish in the center of the plate was surrounded by three crispy, chanterelle arancini balls, topped with florets of cauliflower, sunflower seeds and surrounded by a coconut nage and mint oil. The combination of flavors enhanced the sweet delicacy of the fish.
Be aware that bread does not come with the dinner. The menu offers French Petit Rolls with Foie butter and apricot compote as an optional add-on for $18 – for a serving of two rolls!
Desserts are exotic and unusual. A Pineapple Soup, consisting of coconut sorbet, pineapple salsa and coconut boba (tapioca pearls), was cool and refreshing. It is vegan, but the textures and natural flavors will appeal to nonvegans as well.
One of my guests chose the Sesame and Chocolate Mousse. A base of toasted meringue held scoops of chocolate mousse, with miso siracha caramel and black sesame seeds.
Mango “Float” was a delicious combination of toasted coconut cake, mango, sarsaparilla and puffed sweet rice.
There is a well-curated drink list, with wines by the glass, full bottles, cocktails and a large selection of spirits. A Fento Albarino ($14/glass) from Spain, was a fairly priced, crisp, cool and refreshing white.
As the restaurant has only recently opened, the service is still a bit slow in regard to pacing, but presumably they will improve the wait time between courses as they gain traction. Praise is due for the waitstaff, who are incredibly knowledgeable and friendly.
Our only other critique was the ambient noise level. The ceilings are high, with nothing in the dining areas to help with sound control. It’s all hard surfaces on floors, walls, etc., so conversation can be quite challenging when the room is even partially full. Perhaps they will consider eliminating the background music, since it only adds to the decibel level, and placing some acoustic ceiling tiles to help dampen the sound.
That said, the food is very creative and gorgeously plated, with many interesting, unusual ingredients and unique flavor combinations. It’s a pleasure to have Chef David Viana’s food right here in Asbury Park, and not have to face a long ride home after a night of fine dining.
408 Seventh Ave.
Asbury Park
thestlaurent.com
Bob Sacks, longtime food and wine buff, writes about food, wine and restaurants in this column. Follow him on Instagram @dinnerwithbob.
The article originally appeared in the September 8 – 14, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
